My pond runs all winter, zone 2/3

[callingcolleen1]

If you get the picture snaped at the precise moment the sun goes down, you can get pretty colors reflected at sunsown. No tricks, just got to capture the moment it happens, and it does not last long as the sun set's quick down here in the valley where I live.

Well a sad story yesterday, found one of my old goldfish dead yesterday in the bottom pond. It was the fat old fantail that my neice gave me many years ago. I think I rock dropped on him last fall or something when I was moving things around the pond, cause he had a scrap on the side of his belly, he is the fat red and white one seen in picture below. Memorial at sundown, will be laid to rest under the pine tree.... donations in Lu of flowers to the charity of your choice....

 

[addy1]

Aww darn Colleen, sorry to hear.

 

[sissy]

oh how sad
:sad: :sad:

 

[j.w]

Sorry for your loss Colleen..........he was a beauty :sad:
He looks quite large, how big was he?

 

[HTH]

Colleen,

I was rather glad to find your thread. I have a pond that has gone natural by default rather then by choice. It is 14x40 feet and just deep enough so the pots can sit on the bottom without ice reaching them in the winter. We had the pond dug while we were moving with the idea that it was a temporary holding pond. Seven year latterl the fish and plants are still there.

The interesting thing about this pond is that there is no filtration. I do have a large air supply piped in to degas the water. We had a decent collection ofhardy water lilies and most of them have escaped their pots. They bloom in the spring until they have sucked the nutrients from the water. After that add fertilizer to the water.

I have a large dragon fly and preying mantis population due to this pond. No problem with aphids!

If all goes well I will get more pond dug next season.

 

[j.w]

Well nice big pond and volcano! Bet it's pretty when all those lilies bloom!

 

[sissy]

very nice pond and what kind of aerator are you using incase people are looking for one that pumps that much .

 

[capewind]

Awww, Colleen, sorry to hear about your little guy (or gal)... With you as a mom, I am sure (s)he had a great life,,,

 

[callingcolleen1]

Thanks guys, that fish was fat and about as big as those types of goldfish get, three inches long and two inches fat. I will have to find another little guy that looks similar to replace.

Howard it was very nice to hear about your pond and how natural it is. An all natural pond is just amazing, the fish do great and the pond does indeed look very natural. Would like to see more of your pond and the little critters that live by it.

 

[HTH]

very nice pond and what kind of aerator are you using incase people are looking for one that pumps that much .

It is an old regenerative blower. It used to supply all the tanks in my fish room and several ponds. With luck it will be doing a few more ponds by the end of summer. One nice thing about a blower like this is the only parts that wear are the bearings. I replaced them when I first got it from a folding fish store about 10 years ago.

 

[sissy]

looks like the blower i had on my old heater in NJ before i replace the heating system .How much electric does it use .I guess though if it can handle all that it may be worth the extra cost since ones these days don't last that long .

 

[callingcolleen1]

Howard they don't make things like that anymore, the new stuff would not last that long I am sure!

Today by the pond, fish were moving about, some of the koi look like they grew! How does that happen?? I swear every spring they suddenly look much bigger after the ice breaks up, was thinking that today as I looked at the koi in the pond, they must have grown again!! But how? Under the ice? Must be a allusion of my imagination!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Today's pond pictures, weather very very mild for January!

 

[HTH]

The last time I checked operating cost was back in Colorado and it was $15 a month. I am not sure I want to know what it is now.
Currently it is way oversize now but with some luck I will need more of the capacity in the next year or two.

They still make these but you need to go to a place like Grainger to find them. The price is on the scary side. You might find them in a surplus store that sells pumps and motors. You can also cobble together an 80s area automotive smog pump and a 1/4 motor to get a lot of air. I first seen this done at a commercial water gardens supplier. Mine only lasted a year or two so you have to keep a spare on hand. The bad news is that you have to get the pump from a car. The new ones from auto part stores are not manufactured well enough to pump air!

And I hope you do not mind me messing about in your excellent thread.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Howard I don't mind people posting in my threat at all, and it is good to have people bring more knowledge and different ideas and equipment for ponds. Lot of people use these "bubblers" or air pumps and get good results. I don't like to use bubblers myself in the winter as my ponds are connected and need to flow like the creek, as well our normal winters are usually very very cold and bubblers won't work in winter for me and I much prefer the pumps as they keep all three ponds flowing together.